The Roger Ebert Doucumentary 'Life Itself' Gets a Wonderful Trailer

This April marked the one-year anniversary of Roger Ebert’s passing. The film community pushes on, but it just isn’t the same without him. Champaign, Illinois recently celebrated his memory at Ebertfest — the annual film festival founded by the wonderfully snarky film critic. And we now have a trailer for the biographical documentary based on the writer’s 2011 memoir, Life Itself. Hoop Dreams director Steve James heads up the production, with Martin Scorsese as executive producer, which is set for a theatrical/On Demand/iTunes release on July 4. The Pulitzer Prize-winning critic’s life is explored through touching stories, video excerpts (featuring late friend and critic compadre Gene Siskel from At the Movies) and more. Michal Oleszczyk, writing for RogerEbert.com, said of the film:

Steve James made us witness lives unfolding in all their unpredictability—the gripping beauty of that movie lied in the succession of twists and turns that felt at once unexpected and completely familiar. "Life Itself" deals both with life unfolding and its coming to a close. The scenes of multiple tributes paid to Roger… are both heartbreaking and uplifting.

Grab a few tissues and preview the moving story of Roger Ebert, below.

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